Elite World News

It's quite possible, if you think about it. A couple of snaps of those other attractions are usually enough, but once we start taking photos of tulips, it's hard to stop. The "world's most beautiful spring gardens" are open for only the two months in which the spring bulbs bloom, so when the gates open in late March, there's a photo frenzy. Nearly a million people a year shuffle through the turnstiles in search of the perfect snapshot.
(Full post Tourists can’t stop snapping tulips…)

When you’re looking at a cruise, you often see promotions dealing with airfares to and from the cruise port. Sometimes it’s “free air;” in other cases, the cruise line promotes its own add-on fare, typically announcing it’s a good deal. Airfare can be especially important in one-way cruises, the most common of which are on Alaska cruises or transatlantic positioning cruises. A recent reader inquiry dealt with such a repositioning cruise:

“We are taking a repositioning cruise in April from Florida to the Mediterranean, ending in Rome.

(Full post Which Is the Cheaper Air Deal: the Cruise Line’s or Your Own?…)

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating Buffalo wings dripping with butter-infused hot sauce, you’ve tasted food that originally came from Upstate New York. You also might be surprised to learn that potato chips were originally invented in Upstate New York, in Saratoga Springs. Often overshadowed by New York City’s understandably more famous cuisine, Upstate New York is a meat eater’s paradise, home to such foods as beef on weck (also known as kummelweck), chicken spiedies, white hots, and the amazingly sinful garbage plate.
(Full post Meat Eater’s Paradise: Five Legendary Foods from Upstate New York…)

Dear Jessica,

Which tech items can you bring onboard a plane? Since CD players are banned during the flight, are MP3 players also subject to that rule? What about bringing AC car chargers (for cell phones or DVD players) in your carry-on?

–K.H.

Dear K.H.,

Actually, CD players are not banned during flight, nor are MP3 players.

American Airlines provides a good example of what is and isn’t allowed.

(Full post Which Electronic Devices Can I Bring on My Flight?…)

It doesn’t take a soothsayer or a crystal ball to predict that the hottest cruise trend of 2009 is getting the best possible bargain. Indeed, 2009 is looking like the biggest buyers’ market ever with the absolute cheapest fares we’ve seen in a long, long time. We’ll resurrect on oldie-but-goodie cruise line marketing slogan: “Get out there,” because there’s no better time to book a trip. But what’s to come in 2009 beyond “the year of the deal”? Read on for a list of the top 10 trends we’re watching.
(Full post Top 10 Cruise Trends for 2009…)

Set on an overseas vacation? One of the first things you should do in the trip-planning process is find out if you need a visa, even if you think you don’t. Foreign countries can change their visa requirements for U.S. passport holders almost overnight in response to political situations, and others may adjust rules for security reasons. Besides, if you do need a visa, the process to obtain one may take weeks, depending on the country, and you’ll need time to make sure you have all your documents in order before you depart.
(Full post Before You Go Abroad, Always Check Visa Requirements…)

What has got into me? It may be a mid-life crisis or just the buzz but for some reason I'm on a hefty BMW motorcycle leaning into a right-hand corner as the cafes, vineyards and paddocks of the Yarra Valley flash by.

It's a sunny day and the smells of the country are crisp. There's the smell of cut grass . . .

(Full post Born to be (sort of) wild…)

In this economy, travel is expensive enough for two—let alone for families of three, four, five or more. But, before you write off your clan’s 2009’s cruise—and resign yourself to long summers of “I’m bored!” and “I don’t want to go camping!”—you might want to take another look. Not only do cruise ships depart from a variety of drive-to destinations around the country, but a recent crop of cruise deals are allowing kids to sail at reduced rates—or even for free.
(Full post Family Cruise Deals: Kids Sail Free on Three Lines, and More…)

Travel can be more than schlepping around on a tour bus checking museums and cathedrals off a list. Whether it’s to the next-door state or halfway around the world, a trip can be a lot more rewarding if you focus on learning something. And although much of the focus on educational and volunteer travel is on students or retired seniors, travelers of any age can find plenty of opportunity, too. Moreover, if you’re looking for an educational trip, you can do it either through a group tour or on your own.

Lots of tour operators focus on educational and self-improvement travel.

(Full post Learn Something on Your Next Vacation…)

This four-hour walk is within the Ruataniwha Conservation Park and starts at Parsons Creek, just before a one-lane bridge on the Lake Ohau Road.

The walk starts with a short, steep climb, but soon goes through beech trees wrapped in mistletoe. Information panels explain how this plant is spread by native bellbird and tui.

There are three different varieties of mistletoe found in the Ohau Forests with the red version the most common on the walk.

(Full post Walk gives great Ohau views…)